POLITICIANS ARE MAKING SLAVES OUT OF NIGERIANS THROUGH VOTE-BUYING!

ZION B-BC   NEWSLETTER.  

(LOOKING AT NIGERIA'S POLITICAL SYSTEM FROM A GODLY PERSPECTIVE).

A Publication of the Zion Faith Bible-Believing Church, Kpeyegyi, Abuja Nigeria. [VOL. 7. NO 261. 19th August, 2018.] “…ONLY The Truth, Will Set You   Free! (John.8:32).

POLITICIANS ARE MAKING SLAVES OUT OF NIGERIANS THROUGH VOTE-BUYING!

Nigerians are warming up to another general elections in less than SIX MONTHS and there is so much tension, anxiety, excitement and exhilaration in the polity!
Politicians who lost out in the 2015 race are determined to regain lost glory while those lucky winners would still canvass and push for another victory at all costs! And as the saying goes, this up-coming political elections - already slated for February/March, 2019, will produce, "different strokes for the different folks!"

To the ELECTORAL UMPIRE: INDEPENDENT NATIONAL ELECTORAL COMMISSION (INEC), (1) it would be time to faithfully conduct another free, fair, credible, crime/confusion-free elections that would ensure good governance. (2) To SIT-TIGHT POLITICIANS, - a time to re-new their mandate of "CONTINUITY" to amass illicit wealth at the expense and detriment of the downtrodden, even if they must contravene the CONSTITUTION with impunity. (3)  To the VOTE SELLERS, it would afford another opportunity to merchandize their PERMANENT VOTERS CARDS (PVCS), and mortgage their conscience to the highest bidders. (4)  To the MISCREANTS AND HIRED POLITICAL THUGS, - another field-day to disrupt the process, snatch ballots boxes, exhume and wield their illegal weapons against helpless and defenceless "fellow Nigerians", who were already traumatized by the 9-year Boko-Haram terrorism, incessant inter/intra States kidnappings and also the sporadic killings of rural dwellers by rampaging herdsmen, who did not spare the citizens with the audacity of constant terror!

Apart from the constitutional roles of INEC at elections as enumerated in the ELECTORAL ACT 2010 (as amended), all of the activities of crimes/criminalities, listed in the preceding paragraph, which are alien to electoral norms and punishable by extant laws! For instance, Section 23 (1) (a) (b) & (c) and 24 (1) (a) to (f) and (2) (a) and (b), deal extensively with the offences of buying and selling voters cards and offences of registration of voters respectively. Offences in Section 23 attract N500,000 naira or imprisonment not exceeding two years or both and those of Section 24 (1) (2), attract N100,000 naira or imprisonment not exceeding one year or both and a fine of N500,000 naira or imprisonment not exceeding 5 years respectively!

From 1999- 2015, Wards to Presidential elections had witnessed several electoral malpractices that led to loss of several precious lives, but hardly had any person been successfully prosecuted and brought to justice in order  to serve as deterrent to future criminally-minded citizens, and this trend, had given vent to more criminalities at virtually all elections!

HOW DID NIGERIA GET INTO THE VICIOUS CIRCLE OF MONEY POLITICS?
Politics in Nigeria is synonymous to CURRENCY MINTING for private pockets! During the First Republic, (1960-1966), of the Parliamentary experiment, pilfering from government coffers was minimal but with the introduction of the expensive presidential system, consecutive administrations provided large but inexplicable remunerations for public holders while political appointments became the jackpot hit for lucky hustlers!
The salaries/allowances paperwork for Civil Servants of the Ministries Departments and Agencies (MDA's), as prepared by the Revenue Mobilization Allocation and Fiscal Commission (RMAFC), looks flawless but much loopholes for siphoning illicit monies (in billions of naira on annual basis), from the system, could be detected from some civil service manuals which gave room for raising monetary vouchers for dubious official purchases or activities at random! These same very smart civil servants are working for the three arms of government and have perfected the devious act of robbing the treasury through mutual agreement to favour all parties involved!
Why should budget padding through insertion of new projects by legislators still thrive up to the current 2018 document, which was reluctantly signed on 20th June by the President, SEVEN MONTHS after its submission in November, 2017?

As at Friday, 17th August, 2018, the INEC Chairman, Professor Mahmood Yakubu, was still on the HOT SEAT before the Joint National Assembly (NASS), Committee on INEC/Electoral Matters, being queried over a discrepancy in the figures presented by the President for virement (N189 billion), and that tabled by the Chairman (N143 billion), for consideration and approval by the National Assembly (NASS), at plenary when it re-convenes!

It is common knowledge that the legislators are irked and pained to be deprived of the illicit monies that would have accrued to them from the 2018 Budget which they still cleverly padded with INSERTED CONSTITUENCY PROJECTS which did not originate from the Executive, but now badly needed to execute the 2019 Elections!
There are too many financial attractions in Nigeria's political system that got everyone (including the toddlers - not-too-young-to-rule), interested in politicking for personal gains instead of exuding patriotic zeal to serve and build strong institutions that would strengthen the nations' economic base!
There could be no better time than NOW for all well-meaning Nigerians to rise in unison to advocate for ONE SINGLE PARLIAMENT OF 74 LEGISLATORS ON PART TIME THROUGH A REFERENDUM AS WE MARCH INTO 2019!
WE DON'T NEED A MADDENING CROWD SO MUCH INTOXICATED WITH LOOTED FUNDS! JUST A FEW WISE MEN, WOMEN & YOUTHS AT THE HELM OF AFFAIRS TO GET THE WORK DONE AND STOP WASTAGES IN GOVERNANCE!

IS IT REALLY POSSIBLE TO SELL ONE'S VOTE?
VOTE, is a voluntary but democratic act of making a formalized choice by submitting a ballot for a preferred candidate at an organized election in the process of choosing a leader.
To a discerning mind, this act is both - civic in nature and also a conscience-driven duty and responsibility that should be accorded the sacredness it deserves!  However, that has not been the case in Nigeria's electoral and democratic processes since 1999!
Past reports of virtually all local and international observers, including INEC's monitoring teams, have confirmed that "vote buying on election days", was thriving business! How are votes sold since it is not a physical commodity?
According to some eye-witnesses, political party agents carry loads of money in their brief cases/hand bags to Polling Centres on election days under the pretext that such, were allowances with which to pay their officials on electoral duties; but in actual fact were used to bait gullible electorate to vote for their Political Parties! Once a "good bargain" was struck, the agents would position themselves at vantage points close to Polling Booths, where they could actually confirm thumb prints on ballot papers! In some cases, smart hand phones were used to capture the thumb prints as evidence which on presentation consummates the deal!

WHAT IS INEC'S RESPONSE TO VOTE BUYING/SELLING?
INEC has taken series of measures to checkmate the very shameful development first by  ensuring that the polling booths in subsequent elections would be re-positioned in such a manner to provide complete privacy that could be monitored only by its officials so that voters would be prevented from employing smart phones while voting. Secondly, the Commission would work hand-in-hand with law-enforcement agencies to ensure compliance in the ban on smart phones while voting. We are of the opinion that those who are involved in such unpatriotic business have mortgaged their conscience to the devil because, they did not care about the ripple effects such negative attitude would have on the entire social contract between the government and the masses. Politicians who spent large amounts of money to get into office through vote buying would their entire tenure in fleecing and looting the common patrimony at every opportunity in order to re-coup such illicit expenditures!
Because of vote buying and selling at elections, Nigeria has become the laughing stock, not only of international community’s but among the comity of nations! We are discredited as the most corrupt nation, a people dwelling in the worst unsanitized and polluted environment, the poorest of the poor on the face of the earth, the most un-educated, etc, etc, - all because of BAD GOVERNANCE BY THE MONEY BAGS WHO HI-JACKED THE GOVERNMENT FOR 16 YEARS - 1999-2015 - THE SAME LOSERS WHO TRIED TO CONTINUE IN THE SADDLE WITH THEIR ILLICIT MONIES! But the story has change, the new SHERRIF will recover all the looted monies as the crusade will be intensified into the SECOND TERM of the APC Government from 2019-2023! AMEN!

TIME TABLE OF 2019 GENERAL ELECTIONS!
According to the INEC boss, Professor Yakubu Mahmood, the commission would conduct elections into 1558 constituencies comprising one federal, 29 gubernatorial, 109 senatorial, 360 federal and 991 state constituencies, as well as 68 chairmanship and councillorship constituencies of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), during the 2019 General Elections holding from February to March.
Say NO to vote buying/selling! Report suspicious agents to law-enforcement agents. Arm yourselves with your PVC's and vote for those who would not enslave you. Electioneering campaigns have been flag off by INEC for the now registered 91 Political Parties. Check out their manifestoes meticulously before elections and make informed choices. Take your destiny in your own hand and reject the status of being a SLAVE IN YOUR OWN COUNTRY! "Better is a dry morsel, and quietness therewith, than a house full of sacrifices with strife’’ (Prov 17:1).

Please look forward to more divine revelation in the next edition of Zion B-BC Newsletter as you share this with friends and remain blessed in the Lord. [For weekly access, to this newsletter, log on to:  facebook.com/zionfaithbible.believingchurch or http://www.zfbbc1.blogspot.com, https://www.google.com/+zionfaithbiblebelievingchurch.

Please look forward to divine revelations in  The Sure Word Gospel Tracts, Our divinely inspired books on the Amazon KINDLE Store Namely: The Unbroken Chain of Grace, Nigeria’s Pot Pourri (Volumes 1-5), Godly Politicking For World Peace,  and The Wedding Mascot Died. 

If you have not accepted the Lord Jesus Christ as your personal Lord and Saviour, don’t miss this great opportunity as you pray this prayer: Lord Jesus; I confess that I am a sinner who needs to be saved through the grace of the New Testament of your Blood, shed on the Cross at Calvary; I renounce every sin in my life and accept you as my Lord and Saviour. Please forgive me and write my name in the Book of Life. Amen. If you prayed this prayer, you have been admitted into the family of sons and daughters of God, who are born-again. Congratulations.

I am, yours sincerely, Dr. David B.A. Olufon, Resident Pastor and Editor. 08130669886, 08098194390.  08080243066. g-mail- dvdolufon@gmail.com.